Robots making Autonomous Decisions on Extraterrestrial Missions: Learning to Learn

Rovers on Mars are constantly monitored and maneuvered by humans on Earth. However, robots on missions to Saturn or Jupiter’s moons can’t get timely commands from Earth. What if these machines could make decisions on the fly? Instead of waiting for an “order”, how about these bots making autonomous choice? Thinking on these lines of thought, researchers at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign came up with a cool way for these robots to decide where and how to collect terrain samples on their own.

Magnetic Tentacle Robot for Autonomous Endoscopy: Soft Catheters

Magnetic tentacle robot, strange it may sound but researchers at STORM Lab at the University of Leeds have come up with a tiny canular form of robot that can explore the smallest bronchial tubes in the lungs. The nano tubiform bot measures around 2 millimetres in diameter. That happens to be two times the size of the tip of a ballpoint pen. The tentacle robot will be guided from the outside with the help of (external) magnets.

Light controlled Organic Microswimmers: Semi Autonomous Microrobots

The idea that nanobots flowing through our blood streams to deliver localised medication or to detect any tumour formation is no more a far-fetched dream. A group of researchers from the Max Planck Institute for Intelligent Systems (MPI-IS) in collaboration with the Max Planck Institute for Solid State Research (MPI-FKF), have developed microswimmers that can navigate through biological fluids, areas that are otherwise difficult to access. Steering is done through external form of light energy.

Smartphone driven Autonomous Drone: The Smart Copter

For the first time consumer-grade electronics are used for programming autonomous drones. This drone makes use of smartphone as its brain. The phone senses its environment by taking real time pictures. Even the real time computation is done on the device itself along with higher-level autonomy, maneuvering, navigation, control and computer vision algorithms. The product is the brainchild of GRASP Laboratory, University Of Pennsylvania. Click on the video below to see the autonomous flying robot: This makes me think, if you lose your smartphone, you’d end up losing the drone…

The Autonomous K5: A Bot for Predicting and Preventing Crime

Silicon Valley, the renowned center for invention and development, is always in news. Lately, Microsoft’s robo cop has been creating waves in the tech ocean of the Valley. Start-up, Knightscope has named its security robot K5. Makers of the robot using high tech robotics, predictive analytics and social engagement, wanted to use the bot in predicting and preventing crime. Till now, the company has designed seven robots and envisions positioning four more by the end of this year. 

Fully Autonomous Vehicles: Profit Center for Chipmakers

IHS Technology envision that market for MCUs and processor units would touch half a billion dollars by 2020. Similarly, revenues from optical sensors would escalate 7 times by the same year. Google has already rolled in its driverless car and by the end of 2014 we would be witnessing more such autonomous vehicles from robot manufacturers as well, as in robocars. As of now, these cars are not functioning as fully autonomous vehicles and they do require human intervention, especially to avoid unanticipated events. In fact, they are being operated…

Ghost Knifefish Inspired Autonomous Underwater Vehicle: Biomimicry

In an attempt to design an underwater vehicle that can go into the depths of ocean, which are not, accessible or not safe for humans to dive in, scientists are studying the Ghost knifefish method of locomotion. The fish are known to hunt in the murky water of the Amazon basin with precision and to sense the environment, rely on the current that they pass through the water and whirl their long fin for smooth motion to move both horizontally (forward and backward) as well as vertically. 

Termites Inspire Crew of Tiny Autonomous Bots: Biomimicry

Inspired from termites, which are usually known for causing damages to the buildings, researchers from Harvard University have created a crew of tiny robots that are designed to work autonomously. The bio-inspired robots termed as TERMES can work without any central supervision and can carry bricks to construct structures as towers, castles and pyramids. 

Robotic Needle Achieves Precision Navigation in Living Model

When it comes to cancer-related fatalities, lung cancer tops the list. One of the main reasons could be the presence of tiny tumors in deep within the lung tissue. This poses a major challenge for surgical accessibility. To address this challenge, researchers at UNC Chapel Hill and Vanderbilt University have been trying to fabricate an exceptionally flexible yet durable robot. The device will have the capability of maneuvering through the intricate terrain of the lungs.

Interview: Dr. Yifan Zhu, Robotics Scientist at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign

In the vast realm of the Intelligent Motion Lab, where the interplay of human ingenuity and technological wonders dance harmoniously, resides Dr. Yifan Zhu. A visionary soul, Dr. Zhu finds solace in the realm of robotics, under the wise guidance of Prof. Kris Hauser. Together, they delve deep into uncharted territories. Like a master sculptor shaping formless clay, Dr. Zhu’s focus lies in unravelling the secrets of deformable objects. Through painstaking analysis and intricate algorithms, he breathes life into these enigmatic entities, capturing their essence within a digital tapestry.